User interaction with social network applications is usually by means of logging into a website and thereafter browsing pages of the website over the Internet.
Social network applications contain large quantities of information and store profiles for large numbers of people. This means that, in order for a user to locate a particular contact, a number of sequential browsing steps are required over the Internet. There may be numerous people with the same or similar names, and so further browsing steps are required to confirm that a particular profile corresponds to the required contact. Even when a user is connected to a contact, applying a social network function to that contact, such as a photo sharing function, will require transmission of a number of separate commands including selecting the function from a menu of available functions, then selecting the or each friend.
As well as being time-consuming, each browsing step requires data to be transmitted and received over a network such as the Internet. Where communication with social network applications is performed using a wireless data terminal, such as a mobile telephone or tablet computer, data usage is an important factor given the limited bandwidth available.